Improvement in braiding-machines



2-Sheets--Sheet 2.

JAMES D. BUTLER.

" improvement'in Braiding Machines.

No. 12Z1882, PatentedMarch26,1872.

. 1M Miara-LITHOGRAPHIE to. Mx] USBURNEIY PRCESS/ 2 Sheets-#Sheen` 1fJAMES D. BUTLER'. l Improvement in Brading Machines.

Patented March 26, i872.

Fig. S is an elevation of the same.

running.

f NITEE STATES ETENT A. EEICEO JAMES D. BUTLER, 0F LANCASTER,MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNCR TO BUT- LER BRAIDER COMPANY.'

Y EMPROVENIENT IN BRAIDING-IVIACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 124,882, dated March26, 1872; antedated March 8, 1872.

SPECIFICATION.

I, JAMES D. BUTLER, of Lancaster, inthe county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, havel invented certain Improvements in Braiding-Machines,of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to an improved construction and arrangement of theguide-plate and the wheels for moving the travelers, of the travelersthemselves, and of the yarn-deliver and tension apparatus.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, part in section, of a portion of a machineembodying my vinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is avertical section of a modiiied form of the wheels and guide-plate. Fig.4 is an elevation of the check-weight by itself. Fig 5 is a plan of thespool-catch by itself', Fig. Gis au elevation of the same. Fig. 7 is aplan of the upper-part of the traveler part by itself, showin gthe ribfor steadying the check-weight. Fig. 9 is an end elevation of the lowerpartof the traveler by itself; and Fig. 10 is a plan of the same.

A is the guide-plate, and A are hubs upon it. a aretracks in it, inwhich the travelers run 5 and b are ribs for connecting the differentparts of the plate. Where each track is cut by the other, as at c, thereis a tendency, in the running of the machine, for the point of thetravelers to strike after crossing upon the point of the guide-plate onthe outside of the curve of the track inwhich the traveler is To correctthis` difficulty I offset each track a little at the crossing. At c thebroken and/ dotted lines represent the imaginary continuation of thetracks as found on the other side of the crossing, while the full linesshow the tracks as actually made. The difference between the broken'anddotted and the fulllines indicates the amount of the offset. D areslotted wheels, by which the travelers are driven. With each of thesewheels a shaft, E, is cast, which shaft turns in a bearing in the hub Aof the guide-plate, and is driven by a gear, F, which is fastened to ity by a set-screw,f. These different gears F run together in the sametrain. The lower part j of the traveler-foot runs in the tracks a of theguide-plate, and serves to guide'the travvin the machine.

elers when driven by the wheels in the plane of the plate. The holes inthe guide-plate, in which the shafts E run, being made perpen-A dicularto the upperface of this plate, and the lower sides of the wheels Dbeing faced off square with the shaft E, the upper face of the plate andthe lower faces of the wheels will be parallel, unless the shaft shallrock in the hole in the plate. Itis for the purpose of preventing suchrocking that the hubs A are made upon the guide-pl ate, giving a longbearing for the shaft. Between the wheel and plate, and inclosing theshaft, is the ring g. The rings for the different wheels are of equallength, and there is, therefore, a space of uniform Width between theplate and the wheels all around the machine. The winged part h of thetraveler-foot is just thick enough to fill this space between the plateland the wheels, and thus the traveler is keptin an upright position asit moves upon the plate. The wheels D are made with the projecting partsd, which reach well over upon the winged part h of the traveler-foot7and give a much, better bearingto prevent the traveler from rockin thanwould be possible with the largest circle which would run in the spaceallowed for each wheel This' arrangement of the driver wheels and gearsand the guide-plate,

in connection with the traveler-foot has a very decided merit in the wayof simplicity and durability.n The foot andmneck hj K has some points ofresemblance to what I have heretofore used. But between this and thespool part of the traveler it was necessary, in my former plan7 to haveanother part similar to j. The bringing the upper part of the travelerdown closely upon the neck K is, however, now allowed by the newarrangement of the whole machine, and gives an entirely differenttraveler from the other, and one which, in its comparative compactnessand simplicity, is a great 'improvement upon that.

The modification ofthe driverwheels, shown in Fig. 3, is readilyunderstood from the drawing. S is a slotted gear of a form nowwellknown, and has its under side faced off. It turns upon the pin T,which is set rigidly in the guide-plate.

I .have for some time used upon the traveler what l have called acheck-weight, in connecton with the yarn-tension weight and spool-catch.I have now made some improvements in these parts, and have modiiied thetraveler with reference to them. L is the check-weight, and Z a slot init. This slot is made to give room for the rib 'm on the slidepost M ofthe traveler. The shoulder at the top of the slot strikes upon the topof the rib, and thus the weight is supported and kept from sliding downtoo far upon the post. Having the sides of the slot so that they canbear upon the sides of the rib also keeps the weight from twisting uponthe post so much as it would otherwise do with the loose fit which isnecessary, and considerably relieve the main part of the post from sidewear. The lower part of the check-Weight is made wide, so as to giveroom between the legs l and the post for the end a of the spool-catchbl. In the working of the machine these legs Z are struck by thetension-weight before the catch is, and, therefore, the latter isprotected from the said tension-weight as it jumps in the general waydescribed in my previous patent. -But the legs l are not essential, somesubstitute for them being easily provided, and other shapes may be givento the weight L beside the 'one shown; and the weight may be supportedupon the spool-catch, if desired, instead of upon the rib m. But what Ideem material is the slot Z, which, in connection with the rib in, keepsthe weight in place and gives additional bearing. I think it much betteralso to have the check-weight, which must of necessity be somewhatheavy, supported upon m rather than upon the spool-catch, which withreference to its own proper work, simply might be so slender as not tobe 'adapted to support much extra weight.

`As the rib m is of service, as above pointed out, in keeping` thecheck-weight from twisting upon the post and giving additional bearingfor it as it slides, so is the rib 'm' of equal value in these respectswith regard to the tension-weight P. This rib is attached to the lowerpart of the post, and serves to brace it at just the point where itneeds extra strength without adding to the size of the post proper,which the tension-weight incloses. Both these ribs m and m are believedto be new, and either may be used without the other.

The spoolcatch Y N slides in the hollow spool-spindle, and bears againstthe slide post at n. The part ruiming in the spindle can be made quitelong without interfering with anything else, and can thus get a betterbearing than any heretofore known. It is very light and can be cheaplymade by bending a piece of common wire.

l. The combination of the guide-plate and the slotted driver wheels witheach other, and with the travelers, arranged to hold the feet ofthetravelers between the driver wheels and the guide-plate, substantiallyas described.

2. The driver wheels D with the projections d, substantially as and forthe purposes described.

3. The driving and guiding part K h j of the traveler adapted to work inconnection with the guide-plate and driver wheels, substantially asdescribed.

4:. The cheek-weight L, formed with a slot or groove, l, adapted toreceive the guide or rib m on the post M, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the tension-weight with the rib m upon thetraveler-post, substantially as described.

6. The spool-catch, constructed and operating substantially asdescribed.

7. The ribs m and m', upon the post M, which carries the tension andcheck-weights, substantially as described.

JAMES D. BUTLER.

' Witnesses:

(Enns. C. MURDooK, GEO. W. DlNsMoRE.

